Donations through the charity organization s red kettles in Pittsfield are currently down by 70 percent compared to last year and it s struggling to meet its fundraising target by about $33,000. We went into the season honestly unsure if we were even going to be able to ring the bell, Captain Justin Barter, corps officer in Pittsfield, said Tuesday. We were grateful that we could ring the bell but the numbers are still significantly down. Now in its 130th year, the kettle campaign launched two months earlier than usual because of increased needs. It raised just over $27,000 as of Monday with this year s goal being $60,000 raised by Dec. 24.